The Major Championships of Golf are the four most prestigious competitions, often collectively called “the Majors”. They consist of the Masters, the United States Open, the British Open, and the United Sates PGA. Although the Majors do not provide the largest monetary prizes, they still hold the highest value, boosting a player’s career far more than winning any other tournament will. “If he is already a leading player, he will probably receive large bonuses from his sponsors and may be able to negotiate better contracts. If he is an unknown he will immediately be signed up” (Answers Wikipedia).

Masters

The Masters is held in April, and unlike the other majors, is played at the same location every year – the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The tournament consists of four days of 18-hole play. This year’s winner was Tiger Woods, who captured his fourth Masters at 12 under par. In addition to a cash prize (along with fame and glory), the winner is awarded a distinctive green jacket, which is the official coat worn by members of the Augusta National Golf Club. Winners of the Master also become honorary members of the club.

Last year's winner Phil Mickelson presents this year's winner Tiger Woods the distinctive and coveted green jacket

August National Golf Club is one of the most famous and exclusive clubs in North America. Americans generally regard it as the most revered golf course on Tour, with each hole named after the specific flower framing that hole. The course was collaboratively designed by Bobby Jones, Alistair MacKenzie, and Clifford Roberts. It fulfilled Bobby Jones’ dream of founding a golf club near his home in Georgia that all his golfing friends could enjoy. In 1934, the first Augusta National Invitation was held. Although Clifford Roberts proposed to call the event “the Masters Tournament”, Bobby Jones refused, thinking it was too presumptuous. However, as soon as the media heard the proposed name, they quickly adopted it even without official approval. It wasn’t until 1939 that Jones conceded to have the name officially changed.

The famed Bobby Jones, creator of Augusta Golf Club and the Masters

Since 1940, the tournament has been held each year in the beginning of April. The exception was during 1943, 1944, and 1955 because of World War II. During that period, cattle and turkeys were raised on the Augusta National grounds to aid the war effort.

U.S. Open

The United States Open Golf Championship is put on by the United States Golf Association each June at a different location each year. Courses are usually chosen so that low scoring is difficult and an emphasis is placed on accurate driving.

The first Championship took place in October of 1895 at the nine-hole course of Newport Golf and Country Club in Rhode Island. At that time, the U.S. Open was considered secondary to the U.S. Amateur. However, neither game was more important than “a more established Newport sports spectacle, the America’s Cup yacht races”, as the golf tournaments were moved from September because of a scheduling conflict. In that first competition, 11 golfers played 36 holes for prize money totaling $335, $150 of which was for first prize. The winner also received a golf medal and custody of the Open Championship Cup for his club for one year.

During the first decade of the tournament, competitors mainly consisted of amateurs and the largely British wave of immigrant golf professionals coming to the United States. It wasn’t until American players began to dominate the game, that the U.S. Open would become more important.

Up to 1922, competitions were largely a private event. But in that year, spectator tickets were sold for the first time, followed by the first national television coverage in 1954, and finally live coverage in 1982 on the ESPN cable network.

Over the years, the format of the U.S. Open has changed several times. Although initially a 36-hole competition, it was extended to 72 holes in 1898, with 36 holes played on each of two days. The format was slightly changed in 1926, extending the duration of the tournament by playing 18 holes on each of the first two days, and then 36 holes on the final day. The current format of four days of 18 holes each was set in 1965.

British Open

The British Open is the oldest of the majors. It is also known as the Open Championship, but in the U.S. it is called the British Open. Of the majors, it is the only one not held in the United States. Each July it is hosted by a prestigious golf club in Britain, and the course is always a links course. Links courses are located in coastal areas on sandy soil with few water hazards and trees. Because they are next to the coast, it is usually windy, requiring low accurate shots. Links courses are very common in the United Kingdom, and the most famous links course in the United States is Pebble Beach.

The first British Open was played in 1860 at the Prestwick Golf Club. It was originally restricted to professionals, and the first game had 8 players playing three rounds of the twelve-hole course in one day. The original prize was the Challenge Belt, “made of rich morocco leather, and embellished with a silver buckle and emblems”. After the first occurrence, the tournament was opened to both professionals and amateurs.

The Challenge Belt

In 1863, a total prize fund of £10 (equivalent to $50) was given to the second, third, and fourth place finishers, while the winner kept the Challenge Belt for a year. A cash prize for first place was not given until 1864, starting with £6. In 1870, the Challenge Belt was permanently given to Tom Morris Junior. According to the rules, a person winning the championship three games in a row would be allowed to keep the belt.

In 1871, it was finally decided that the Open Championship would no longer be the sole responsibility of the Prestwick Golf Club, but rather shared along with The Royal & Ancient Golf Club and The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. In 1873, they commissioned a new prize for the winner – a silver claret jug officially named “The Golf Champion Trophy”, but more commonly known as “The Claret Jug”. The official Claret Jug is engraved with the winner’s name, but then must be returned each year for presentation to the next year’s winner. As a result, “many winners privately commission copies of the jug for their personal collection”.

The Claret Jug

U.S. PGA

The PGA holds the PGA Championship each year in August. The idea for a national championship was brought up at an “exploratory meeting of The Professional Golfer’s Association of America” in 1916. Rodman Wanamaker, a businessman and avid golfer, provided the trophy for the first competition, along with $2,580 for the winners, which was played at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, NY. The Wanamaker Trophy is still in use today.

Vijay Singh receiving the very large Wanamaker Trophy at the 2004 PGA Championship

Throughout the years, the PGA Championship has come a long way, developing into a premier sporting event with “more than 100,000 people [lining] the fairways of the nation’s finest golf facilities”, awarding $1.25 million to the winner. (Compare this to less than 10 years ago, when the first place winner only received $500!)